Transdniester
Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic
Transdniester has a president, parliament, army and porice forces, but, as yet it is lacking International recognition. The official languages are Russian, Moldavian, and Ukrainian. Constitutional system: Trans-Dniester Moldavian Republic is an independent democratic state. Trans-Dniester Moldavian Republic is situated between the Republic of Moldova and the Republic of Ukraine. Territorially the state encompasses areas on the left bank of the Dniester river, the town of Bendery and some villages on the right bank.
The capital of Trans-Dniester Moldavian Republic is Tiraspol (population 194,000 as of 1 September 1999). The distance from Tiraspol to Odessa is 100 km., and the distance from Tiraspol to Kishinev is 70 km. Trans-Dniester Moldavian Republic has economic ties with many countries. The Republic exports its goods to 50 countries and imports from 40 countries. The Republic produces such export-oriented and well-known abroad kinds of goods as rolled steel, foundry equipment, electrical energy, cables, large electrical machinery, low-voltage gear, insulating materials, pumps, cement, furniture, textiles, footwear, ready-made garments, wine, brandy and other goods.
Transdniester separatists' have a long-time involvement in money-laundering and the manufacturing and smuggling of weapons, as well as trafficking in human beings and drugs. Secessionists in Russian-speaking Transdniester maintain control over the enclave's borders with Ukraine, across which most of the smuggling takes place. The region's leader, Igor Smirnov, and his son, Vladimir, are believed to have almost exclusive control over the lucrative criminal activities in the area.
Since the Soviet collapse, as much as half of Transdniester’s working-age population has left - to work in Russia, or in the West. But Transdniestrans seem happy to live as Russia’s lost colony in Central Europe.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin warned in September 2013 that if Moldova made a move towards the EU, it can say goodbye to the Transdniester, the secessionist region guarded by 1,200 Russian peacekeeping troops. In December 2013, Transdniester passed a law mandating Russian-language legislation, saying the separatist region's major goal is integration into the Russia-led Customs Union.
One month after the presidential elections in Moldova, where the pro-Russian socialist leader Igor Dodon won, the internationally unrecognized separatist state of Transnistria voted 11 December 2016 for its own president. Current president, Yevgeny Shevchuk, and parliamentary speaker, Vadim Krasnoselski, have the best chances of winning. A Russian poll had Shevchuk ahead.
This was the second time 48-year-old president Shevchuk is running for president. He began ruling Transnistria in 2011 when he succeeded Igor Smirnov, who had ruled the separatist Moldovan region for two decades. "People put high hopes in Shevchuk, but not all of them have been fulfilled," said Galina Schelar, a political scientist in the Moldovan capital of Chisinau. The crisis in neighboring Ukraine has left its mark. Furthermore, tensions between the president and parliament have grown. "People are waiting for election day because tensions are running high," said Natalia Skurtul, a journalist in Transnistria. "Many are dreaming of the election campaign just being over."
Shevchuk's main opponent, Krasnoselski, enjoyed the support of "Renewal", an opposition party that entered a partner relationship in the summer with the Kremlin party "United Russia." The 46-year-old Krasnoselski was backed by the powerful corporation "Sheriff" where he once worked as head of security. Sheriff dominates the Transnistrian economy, and operates a supermarket chain, gas stations, a mobile phone provider and a television station.
Both Shevchuk and Krasnoselski were in favor of joining Russia. The vast majority of Transnistria inhabitants voted for this in an internationally unrecognized referendum. In the Transnistrian capital, Tiraspol, there have been signs of movement toward Moscow. In September 2016, the president issued a decree to adapt the Transnistrian legal system to the Russian one.
In July 2020, the authorities dispersed a public protest in Rîbni?a in which participants voiced objections to pandemic-related travel restrictions that prevented them from reaching their places of employment. Activist Gennadiy Chorba was arrested on extremism charges for organizing the protest and was placed in pretrial detention. In September 2020, the authorities initiated a criminal case against Nadezhda Bondarenko, the acting chair of the Communist Party and the editor of its newspaper, for allegedly insulting the president. Aleksandr Samoniy, a Tiraspol city councilman for the Communist Party, was charged in June for posting critical and insulting posts against the authorities on Facebook. He subsequently fled the territory.
The legislative elections in November 2020 featured low voter turnout and a lack of basic competition, with candidates in more than two-thirds of the districts running unopposed. The ruling party captured nearly all of the seats, and no genuine opposition parties won representation. Legislation adopted in July 2019 reduced the size of the unicameral Supreme Council from 43 to 33 members, all serving five-year terms. Elections for the body were held in November 2020. A total of 51 candidates applied to run for seats, and only 45 were registered, with four denied registration and two withdrawing their applications. In 23 of the 33 electoral districts, the candidates ran unopposed; by comparison, only two candidates had run unopposed in each of the previous two legislative elections. Voter turnout was just 28 percent of the eligible electorate. The Renewal Party won 29 seats, and the remainder went to candidates who also had links to Sheriff Enterprises. As Transnistria is not internationally recognized, no established election monitoring organization sent a mission to observe the balloting.
The Transnistrian government escalated its crackdown on dissent during 2021, initiating criminal cases against several political and civic activists. The president is elected for up to two consecutive five-year terms. Constitutional amendments approved in 2011 created a relatively weak post of prime minister. The president appoints the prime minister, who must be approved by the parliament.
Parliamentary elections in Moldova took place on 11 July 2021 without the cooperation of the breakaway region of Transdniester. Most people in the region have Moldovan passports and can travel to nearby districts to vote, but only a few thousand are expected to do so, out of an estimated population of between 300,000 and half a million.
The Central Election Commission [CEC] of the unrecognized Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic on 27 October 2021 registered the current head of the PMR Vadim Krasnoselsky as a candidate for the post. According to local legislation, a candidate who has been a citizen of the PMR for at least ten years and has the right to vote can be elected President of Transnistria. The candidate must be at least 35 years old and by the day of elections have permanently resided in the territory of the republic for at least ten years. The CEC press service quoted CEC Chairwoman Elena Gorodetskaya. She clarified that Krasnoselsky submitted 12,000 Pridnestrovian signatures to the CEC for his nomination, the protocol on the nomination and the protocol on the collection of signatures. “As a result of checking the documents submitted by the candidate for compliance with the requirements of the law and as a result of checking the data contained in the subscription lists, the CEC adopted a unanimous decision to register Vadim Krasnoselsky as a candidate for the post of President of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic,” the press service quoted CEC Chairman Elena Gorodetskaya.
"As a presidential candidate, I think the elections should be democratic, free. This should not be a factor in the split of the Pridnestrovian people, “Krasnoselsky said after registration. According to the electoral legislation, the registration procedure for candidates should be completed by November 20. In addition to Krasnoselsky, the head of the Tiraspol School of Political Studies Anatoly Dirun, a resident of Tiraspol Nikolai Malyshev and a resident of the Grigoriopol district Sergei Pynzar announced their desire to participate in the elections.
In the separatist Transnistria region, former political prisoner and political activist Oleg Horjan was found dead in his home after reportedly being stabbed to death on 17 July 2023. Transnistrian “law enforcement” claimed Horjan was murdered incident to a burglary, but civil society observers called Horjan’s death “suspicious.” Horjan’s killing occurred less than two weeks following his signing of a joint declaration expressing the need to consolidate the civic initiatives to fight for the social, economic, and human rights of persons in Transnistria and the rest of the country. The Moldovan government called for an independent investigation into the killing, while the nongovernmental organization (NGO) Promo-LEX called for the intervention of the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression.
In Transnistria, there were reports of torture and cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment in detention facilities, including denial of medical assistance, detention in metal cages during court hearings, and prolonged solitary confinement. There was no known mechanism to investigate alleged acts of torture by Transnistrian “security forces.” Promo-LEX noted that “authorities” perpetrated most inhuman and degrading treatment in the region to obtain self-incriminating confessions. Transnistrian “law enforcement” bodies did not report any investigations or prosecutions for torture or inhuman treatment by Transnistrian “security forces” during the year.
Significant human rights issues in the breakaway region of Transnistria included credible reports of: torture and cases of cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment by “authorities;” harsh and life-threatening prison conditions; arbitrary arrest or detention; serious problems with the independence of the “judiciary;” political prisoners or detainees; arbitrary or unlawful interference with privacy; serious restrictions on freedom of expression and media, including censorship and the enforcement of or threat to enforce criminal libel “laws” to limit expression; serious restrictions on internet freedom; substantial interference with the freedom of peaceful assembly and freedom of association, including overly restrictive “laws” on the organization, funding, or operation of nongovernmental organizations and civil society organizations; restrictions on freedom of movement; inability of citizens to change their “government” peacefully through free and fair elections; serious and unreasonable restrictions on political participation; serious “government” corruption; serious “government” restrictions on or harassment of domestic and international human rights organizations; and extensive gender-based violence, including domestic or intimate partner violence.
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
